futurerider

Hello all,

Does anyone have any input on the new Chatterbox X1slim bike to bike communication system?

It is blue tooth and suppose to get up to 5 miles (I doubt that, I would realistically like to see 2 miles) betwen units. It can connect to an unlimitted number of other riders, phone, music, GPS etc.

Myself and several friends are considering these for alot of reasons, and any input would be helpful.

Maybe you have knowledge of a better system that you would suggest?



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dbmg

This might help:
Sena SMH10 Blue Tooth - Harley Davidson Community (Sena SMH10 Blue Tooth)

Bike to Bike Bluetooth with Half Helmet - Harley Davidson Community (Bike to Bike Bluetooth with Half Helmet)

Nolan NCOM Input Please - Harley Davidson Community (Nolan NCOM Input Please)

Helmet to helmet comm - Harley Davidson Community (Helmet to helmet comm)

Bike to bike - Harley Davidson Community (Bike to bike)

israguard

Hi,
I just googled this chatterbox and saw a very nice YouTube video. The transmission between bike to bike isn't via blue tooth.. But 5 miles?.. Wow. It looks to me very nice and I like the "push to talk" EXTERNAL hand held button.. That's a cool gadget when riding.

I personally own the SMH-10 from Sena and that units best feature is the ONE BUTTON only type design/function. Believe me.. Riding at 55mph with gloves.. It's frankly impossible to start fidgeting with buttons. Been there done that and I traded up to the Sena. Just my two sense..but this unit looks cool.

Rgds, Shawn

Diesel_TX

I just bought the chatterbox x1. It will be here thursday. I will report back after I have had some time to play with it. As far as bike to bike comm of 5 miles. It uses the same freq as the radios they sell at Walmart or academy. They are all line of sight and terrain and obstructions play a big part in that. If you are using them in flat west Texas you probably can get 5 miles. Doubtful you are going to get that anywhere there are any obstructions between the two radios.

Diesel_TX

Received the chatterbox x1 slim today. Installed it on my modular helmet in about 10 minutes. Install was easy and straightforward. Watch the video on you tube. The manual does not have very good instructions on install.

I did not get the passenger headset/microphone in this shipment. Hopefully it will come tomorrow.

Bluetooth setup on the iPhone 4 was a breeze. Press and hold the intercom button and turn the x1 on and it paired immediately.

Weather really sucks right now so I could not try it out on the road. I did listen to some music and take a phone call. Music was tinny but ok. The speakers are defintley not as good as my skull candy headphones but doable. On the phone call my buddy said it sounded like I was in a helmet but he could understand me fine and I good hear him with out any issues. When the phone call came in the music faded and it phone started ringing. As soon as I ended call music came back from where it left off.

Hoping the weather breaks this weekend or early next week so I can ride and test it out.

Will report back when I can test it on road.

Diesel

Diesel_TX

Update.

Was able to get a couple hundred miles in with the x1 slim. My only complaint so far is the speakers are bad. I have taken a few phone calls at 80MPH and it is very hard to hear and understand. People I am talking to say they hear me fine and can understand me. The speakers it comes with are just not very loud and the sound is bad. I am not an audiophile by any means but it sounds bad. I ordered the adapter to use my skull candy ear buds. I am hoping that fixes the sound and volume issues.

The other minor annoyance is using Spotify while riding. If a call or text comes in while riding using Spotify the music does not restart automatically like it does when using the IPod.

So far I am happy with the unit. I have not had a chance to test bike to bike or passenger intercom yet. That will come this weekend.

Diesel_TX

Had to send chatterbox back to company. Wife and I rode about 12-14 hours a couple weeks ago and VOX and passenger comm was not working. Regardless of how sensitive I tuned the VOX it never worked. Also even with the manual PTT button for her I got nothing. I could hear her key up the mic but that is it. She could hear me fine when I used the manual PTT button.

I called chatterbox tech support. I talked to a real person immediately. No IVR or endless menus to navigate. We went through some tests and was given an RMA number.

Hopefully I get it back quickly as I honestly love it. Guess I should not complain about not being able to hear my wife since it is the first time in
20 years she has been quiet and has to listen to me only. :0

futurerider

Thank you all for your input.

Here is my review for anyone interested.

I decided to go with the X1slim. I tried several local companies listed on the web page as dealers, but they either had no real world information or input for me, one company did not seem interested in selling this particular brand for some reason and did not even suggest an alternative, but I had already made up my mind, so I contacted their sales department to figure out just how to go about purchasing the units. They made life easy and sold directly to me (at a lower than list price ). I ordered 5 Chatterbox X1slim units (and a few additional accessories). They were delivered within 7 days.

I installed mine in a modular helmet, took me about and hour (I am kinda particular) following the youtube video's (Diesel TX is right, very poor directions in the instruction book). Over the next week, my friends picked theirs up and installed them also. We sat around the kitchen table with our helmets on (looking like real idiots I am sure) and familiarized ourselves with them. Our first real test was so, so, some could not hear, others could not speak and so on. We worked out most of the bugs and now everything is pretty good.

Our only real distance test was good for about 3 miles, not too shabby, Beyond that and I can hear them speak, but cannot really understand what they are saying (might be me). We really do not get separated by that much but it does come in handy, as we found out, when separated by a tractor trailer. We had a turn coming up and the bike behind the tractor (about 1/2 mile behind us) was able to know where we were going.

Bluetoothe works fine, easy to pair.

Distance seems pretty good, you never get what is promised (like MPG in a car, or political promises) but I feel it is pretty good. Keep in mind the unit transmits in FRS and GMRS frequencies. GMRS channels is where the 5 mile distance would be and are between 8 and 15. So pick a channel and sub channel in that range.

The FM radio works well.

Hard to press buttons on the side of your head while ridding (especially with gloves), but if you set it up prior to leaving, there is little adjustment to be made.

The speakers were originally the biggest complaint I had, but I realized I had mounted them too high, I lowered them closer to my ear canal and WOW what a difference. I always thought I knew where my ears were, but I guess I was wrong.

So far I am pleased with the unit and the price.

Biggest complaint now is the instruction manual, you really have to read between the lines to figure out how to exactly set it up, again, that may just be me. If I figured it out, anyone can.

Thanks for reading this LOOOONG post, hope it helps.

Bob

Diesel_TX

Bob

Thanks for posting your review. After reading your experience with it I am thinking I just got a bad unit.

Diesel

futurerider

Diesel,

Positioning of the microphone is critical for the VOX to work correctly, but once you get it correct, it works pretty good. The Mic. really needs to be directly in front of your mouth with the wind sock touching your lips, there is also a white dot on the Mic. where the wire connects, that must be to wards you also.